Growing up, it seems like the only breakups I’ve ever witnessed have been between two people who were madly in love but couldn’t find a way to make it work. But these days, I’ve had first-hand experiences and have witnessed a handful of my friends experience the newfound phenomenon of the friendship breakup.
With romantic relationships, couples can at least have their “breakup moment,” but with friendships ending, the line is a little more blurry; there’s no set language or dialogue for it. With friendships, normally one party starts phasing into a new friendship where the expression “out with the old and in with the new” comes into play. Or, they simply start acting differently. There are a lot of unspoken issues that never get resolved, and that’s where singer-songwriter EMME got her inspiration for her newest single, “New Best Friend.”
“Of all the breakups I’ve been through, a friend breakup messed me up the most,” EMME said when talking about the song. She had a firsthand experience of her now former BFF phasing her out with a new replacement. As she never got to have the exact “breakup moment” of ending it with her friend, she uses a melancholy yet pensive blend of lyrics to hypothetically confront her ex-BFF about all the things she never got to say. EMME’s raw emotions of loss and lingering after losing a friend paint a vivid picture of someone trying to understand the act of being replaced, and ultimately trying to come to terms with moving on. “I hope you like your new best friend / I hope she plays the part I left / Makes you feel like she’s there til the end / Cuz you never gave me the chance / But I hope you like your new best friend”
The catchy chorus holds a bittersweet, almost sarcastic tone. She makes it seem like a well-intended farewell, but underneath, you can see the part where it hits her the most. The line “cuz you never gave me a chance” implies that her friendship ended prematurely, leaving the singer to write the song to express her feelings about how she was never truly valued because she got replaced so instantly. This song is the perfect anthem for anyone who’s ever gone through a friendship breakup but still has that lingering feeling of words that were left unsaid.
Stream “New Best Friend” below.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area on April 15, EMME will be performing at The Hotel Cafe for Not Another Showcase. Get your tickets here.
